13 Dec
2007
13 Dec
'07
4:10 p.m.
OK, with my new Origin 2000 machines, I was thinking that I could use
these SGI drives+sleds that I had purchased previously, where the
seller said they would work in Onyx2/Origin machines. However, while
the sleds appear compatible, the drive interface is not.
Is there any online guide that compares the different drive sled
designs for SGI machines so that I can compare what's being offered on
ebay to identify the machines that can use it?
For instance, my drives have a high density connector that is only
about 1" long, but the Origin 2000 has a high density connector that
looks to be about 2-2.5" long.
Is my only recourse to scrape through individual manuals to try and
find diagrams?
--
"The Direct3D Graphics Pipeline" -- DirectX 9 draft available for download
<http://www.xmission.com/~legalize/book/download/index.html>
Legalize Adulthood! <http://blogs.xmission.com/legalize/>
13 Dec
13 Dec
7:09 p.m.
On 13/12/2007 21:10, Richard wrote:
OK, with my new Origin 2000 machines, I was thinking
that I could use
these SGI drives+sleds that I had purchased previously, where the
seller said they would work in Onyx2/Origin machines. However, while
the sleds appear compatible, the drive interface is not.
For instance, my drives have a high density connector
that is only
about 1" long, but the Origin 2000 has a high density connector that
looks to be about 2-2.5" long.
Your 1" long connector sounds like a fibre channel (FC-AL) interface.
That's a serial interface with power on the same connector. What the
Origin and Onyx2 use is an SCA connector. You can use any SCA drive in
an Origin; for a short while I had a couple of small capacity drives
borrowed from Sun systems in mine, wedged in place with small rubber
window wedges, until I got enough sleds and some larger drives.
I think some SGI FC-AL disk shelf used the same sleds as the Origin.
Perhaps that's where yours came from.
--
Pete Peter Turnbull
Network Manager
University of York
8:21 p.m.
In article <4761C9AB.40704 at dunnington.plus.com>,
Pete Turnbull <pete at dunnington.plus.com> writes:
I think some SGI FC-AL disk shelf used the same sleds
as the Origin.
Perhaps that's where yours came from.
That must be it because the sleds are most definately the same as the
Origin/Onyx2 in terms of the physical connection to the cabinet.
--
"The Direct3D Graphics Pipeline" -- DirectX 9 draft available for download
<http://www.xmission.com/~legalize/book/download/index.html>
Legalize Adulthood! <http://blogs.xmission.com/legalize/>
10:43 p.m.
On Dec 13, 2007, at 7:09 PM, Pete Turnbull wrote:
Actually the FC (be it -AL or -SW) connector is also correctly
referred to as "SCA". A 20-pin SCA connector is FibreChannel (the -AL
suffix only applies if it's operating in Arbitrated Loop mode, which
depends on what it's plugged into) and an 80-pin SCA connector is
almost always wide SCSI.
-Dave
--
Dave McGuire
Port Charlotte, FL
OK, with my
new Origin 2000 machines, I was thinking that I could use
these SGI drives+sleds that I had purchased previously, where the
seller said they would work in Onyx2/Origin machines. However, while
the sleds appear compatible, the drive interface is not.
For instance, my drives have a high density
connector that is only
about 1" long, but the Origin 2000 has a high density connector that
looks to be about 2-2.5" long.
Your 1" long connector sounds like a fibre channel (FC-AL) interface.
That's a serial interface with power on the same connector. What the
Origin and Onyx2 use is an SCA connector. You can use any SCA drive
in an Origin; for a short while I had a couple of small capacity
drives borrowed from Sun systems in mine, wedged in place with small
rubber window wedges, until I got enough sleds and some larger drives. 
16 Dec
16 Dec
3 p.m.
Hi Richard
Those Octanes and the Origin 2000 use an "SCA" drive interface...
it' an 80 pin scsi interface that takes power and signals on the one
connector... sometimes you will see the drive called out as having
an 80 pin Centronics (SCA-2) connector ... ( just looking at CDW's
web page at the moment and there are about 17 different choices )
Seagate drives that will work all have LC as the last two
characters in the part number....
Most new drives all have Ultra 320 in their name someplace, but they
seem to work well also.
I know 140 Gbyte drives and 70 Gbyte drives will work in Octanes...
although those machines originally shipped with 4G and 9 Gbyte drives
way back there..
Mike
On Dec 13, 2007, at 2:10 PM, Richard wrote:
OK, with my new Origin 2000 machines, I was thinking
that I could use
these SGI drives+sleds that I had purchased previously, where the
seller said they would work in Onyx2/Origin machines. However, while
the sleds appear compatible, the drive interface is not.
Is there any online guide that compares the different drive sled
designs for SGI machines so that I can compare what's being offered on
ebay to identify the machines that can use it?
For instance, my drives have a high density connector that is only
about 1" long, but the Origin 2000 has a high density connector that
looks to be about 2-2.5" long.
Is my only recourse to scrape through individual manuals to try and
find diagrams?
--
"The Direct3D Graphics Pipeline" -- DirectX 9 draft available for
download
<http://www.xmission.com/~legalize/book/download/index.html>
Legalize Adulthood! <http://blogs.xmission.com/legalize/>
4:35 p.m.
Thanks for the info, Mike! Helpful as always.
Of course, I now realize that the drives I purchased on ebay were for
a fiber channel chassis although the sleds and connector look similar.
So it appears that while I thought I had a nice stash of drives for my
RealityMonster Onyx2, I'll still need some drives and sleds.
Anyone have some spare O2K/Onyx2 drive sleds they don't need?
--
"The Direct3D Graphics Pipeline" -- DirectX 9 draft available for download
<http://www.xmission.com/~legalize/book/download/index.html>
Legalize Adulthood! <http://blogs.xmission.com/legalize/>
17 Dec
17 Dec
11:27 a.m.
mike ingram wrote:
I know 140 Gbyte drives and 70 Gbyte drives will work
in Octanes...
although those machines originally shipped with 4G and 9 Gbyte drives
way back there..
Brings back memories - the first pair of SCSI drives I ran "in anger" on a PC
were surplus from an Origin 2k, in about 1998 or so. Those were SGI-supplied
SCA-connector units - one was a 9GB and the other was just over 4 (4.3GB I
think).
Both were IBM drives, although the drive firmware was custom so that they
reported themselves as SGI in response to an inquiry command - it makes me
wonder if at least some SGI models check for this and will barf on drives that
they don't think are 'SGI approved'?
cheers
Jules
11:37 a.m.
--- Jules Richardson <jules.richardson99 at gmail.com>
wrote:
Both were IBM drives, although the drive firmware
was custom so that they
reported themselves as SGI in response to an inquiry
command - it makes me
wonder if at least some SGI models check for this
and will barf on drives that
they don't think are 'SGI approved'?
I don't know about other SGI models, but I know that
the Octane doesn't care. I used generic surplus 80 pin
SCA SCSI drives with mine, I have three in there right
now - two IBM's and a Seagate. Using CD jewel cases
instead of drive sleds. (use full height cases on the
top two bays, a slimline case on the bottom) Running
IRIX 6.5 - no problems at all.
-Ian
11:43 a.m.
On 17/12/2007 16:27, Jules Richardson wrote:
Both were IBM drives, although the drive firmware was
custom so that
they reported themselves as SGI in response to an inquiry command - it
makes me wonder if at least some SGI models check for this and will barf
on drives that they don't think are 'SGI approved'?
I don't think so. O2s and Octanes don't care, and my Origin2000
doesn't. In fact it has a Fujitsu boot disk and a bunch of Seagate drives.
--
Pete Peter Turnbull
Network Manager
University of York
11:47 a.m.
On Dec 17, 2007, at 11:27 AM, Jules Richardson wrote:
Brings back memories - the first pair of SCSI drives I
ran "in
anger" on a PC were surplus from an Origin 2k, in about 1998 or so.
Those were SGI-supplied SCA-connector units - one was a 9GB and the
other was just over 4 (4.3GB I think).
Both were IBM drives, although the drive firmware was custom so
that they reported themselves as SGI in response to an inquiry
command - it makes me wonder if at least some SGI models check for
this and will barf on drives that they don't think are 'SGI approved'?
I've used quite a few "non-SGI" drives in quite a few SGI systems,
and have never seen one complain.
-Dave
--
Dave McGuire
Port Charlotte, FL
Farewell Ophelia, 9/22/1991 - 7/25/2007
6063
days inactive
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